Interview

What are your favorite children’s books?

The Westing Game, His Dark Materials, 21 Balloons, Half Magic, The Shining, The Hound of the Baskervilles

I don’t believe there’s any such thing as a “children’s book.” A good story is a good story. It’s that simple. I find The Westing Game just as entertaining now as I did when I was 10 years old. I’ve even been known to thumb through Dr. Seuss when I’m at the bookstore.

Who are your favorite children’s authors?

Phillip Pullman, Stephen King, Jonathan Stroud, Lemony Snicket

I’ve always liked my fiction dark and disturbing. By the time I turned twelve, I’d read every Stephen King book I could get my hands on. I’m afraid it didn’t do much for my mental health. I still check behind the clothes in my closet before I go to sleep every night, and I’m convinced that one of my bathrooms is haunted.

Who or what was your biggest influence in deciding to become a writer?

I started writing stories in the third grade, but my subject matter tended to be a little bizarre. My teachers were rarely amused to read my accounts of man-eating shrubs or haunted broom closets, and most of them thought I was very odd. (And...